The Mary Sue » snowhttp://www.themarysue.com
The Nexus of Pop Culture and the Uncharted UniverseTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:18:24 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=2015.10Remember That Time Japan Invented The Most Adorable Robot Snowplow Ever? - More like Yuki-T'awww, AM I RIGHT GUYShttp://www.themarysue.com/japan-snow-wall-e/
http://www.themarysue.com/japan-snow-wall-e/#commentsTue, 27 Jan 2015 17:49:00 +0000http://www.themarysue.com/?p=278350

Meet Yuki-Taro. He’s a little robot who was developed by the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, and unveiled to the world at the Aichi Expo in 2005. He also poops ice bricks like a little snow WALL-E. He’s my new best friend. We’re going to be very happy together.

Built in cooperation with New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the Engineering Department at Yamagata University, this little guy is guided by a GPS sensor and twin cameras in his “eyes” to detect potential obstacles in his path—like the snow that falls regularly in Niigata, Japan, where the researchers who invented Yuki-Taro are reportedly from. It then compresses the snow that it takes into its front shovel into 28.5 pound bricks, and can carry up to 220 pounds of snow-bricks on its rear deck.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/japan-snow-wall-e/feed/0It’s Supposed To Be Spring, So Let’s Angrily Explode A Snowman In Slow-Motion - Do you want to horrifically mutilate a snowman?http://www.themarysue.com/exploding-snowman/
http://www.themarysue.com/exploding-snowman/#commentsSun, 23 Mar 2014 20:00:49 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=198782

March 20th was the first day of spring, but it seems like the weather in the Northern US and Canada really hasn’t noticed (nothing like a fresh layer of snow when it’s almost April, am I right?) To adequately express my frustration with this unending and horrifying Poehler Vortex winter, I present you with a snowman being blown to bits at 4500fps.

Shot with a NAC HX-1 camera, the snowman is decimated by rapidly expanding gasses, and presented at speeds 150 times slower than your eye normally perceives. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to grab a sledgehammer and start some snow-smacking of my own. Sorry, Elsa, but this is getting to be a little too much.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/exploding-snowman/feed/2This Winter Has Officially Been Especially Miserable, According to Science - We were all such sweet summer children up until now.http://www.themarysue.com/winter-sadness/
http://www.themarysue.com/winter-sadness/#commentsTue, 25 Feb 2014 21:57:15 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=195318

If you’re currently located above the Mason-Dixon line, then you are probably super-bummed right now. That’s because this winter has been the coldest that most major Northeastern and Midwestern cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and worst of all, Detroit, have seen since 1950, according to a recent index created by meteorologists.

The Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index, otherwise known as the AWSSI (pronounced like “Aussie”) or the winter misery index, was created in January of last year by meteorologist Barbara Mayes Bousted. AWSSI calculates the severity of a winter season using calibrations “based on temperature and precipitation (snowfall) thresholds for several sites across the central United States,” and then comparing it to the averages for each region. On a side note, Winter Misery Index is the name of my Chelsea Wolfe cover band.

According to AWSSI, this season has been worst for the good city of Detroit, which has been experiencing the fifth most severe winter to date—although it’s closer to the third most severe if you start tracking it from January 1st. In fact, almost half of the 24 cities that Bousted studied this time around have been experiencing winters that are among the 10 hardest in over 60 years.

Of course, as with all indexes, it’s not a completely perfect way to track who’s been having a worse time than everybody else. For example, it fails to take freezing rain or windchill into account and instead focuses more on snowfall and general coldness, which might actually make you less miserable if you’re the sort of person who is perfectly okay with not having seen the ground in a month and a half.

Bousted hopes that with time, the index might be used to find trends in large scale climate changes (because guess what, dummies? Colder temperatures do not mean that global warming isn’t real) and track the economic impacts of drastic seasonal changes. Of course, we’re going to keep using our index score as an excuse not to come into work or go outside or be awake. We’re so very tired and we miss the sun.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/winter-sadness/feed/0Remember That Snow Is Beautiful With a Microscopic Time-Lapse of Snowflakes Forming [Video] - Unless the mere thought of snow sends you into a blind rage at this point.http://www.themarysue.com/snowflake-time-lapse/
http://www.themarysue.com/snowflake-time-lapse/#commentsMon, 24 Feb 2014 13:13:13 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=195039

Much of the US has been hammered by snow this year, so you may not be its biggest fan right now, but maybe this microscopic view of snowflakes forming can turn that opinion around—until, of course, the next time it snows, which is apparently every day forever. Hey, maybe remembering this video will brighten your day next time your commute has you slogging through mounds of slush.

Or it might just make you think of everything you know and love slowly becoming encased in creeping, expanding ice. Either way, it’s hard to look away from.

As much as we like to joke up North about how the South freaks out when even so much as a light dusting of snow settles on their soil, we’ll concede that icy roads are no laughing matter. Well, they weren’t until the Head and Assistant Head of School at Durham Academy put up this video of them rapping like the dorky white guys they are.

Don’t get us wrong, though: we wanted to hate this, but we ended up being kind of into this. Good for you, Durham Academy educators. You took what should have been embarrassing as heck and made it kind of heartwarming.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/ice-ice-baby-school/feed/1No. The Snow Outside Isn’t a Plastic Nanobot Government Chemtrail Conspiracy, Dummies. Let Us Explain - This is a real conversation we have to have? Seriously?http://www.themarysue.com/chemtrail-snow-conspiracy-explained/
http://www.themarysue.com/chemtrail-snow-conspiracy-explained/#commentsMon, 03 Feb 2014 20:52:57 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=192682

Before you post that video of yourself “burning” that “chemtrail snow” outside to prove your insane conspiracy theory — stop. Don’t. Read this first and learn how snow works, lest you run the risk of looking like a stupid person on the Internet. That burning snow outside? Yeah. That’s just regular snow.

First. Here’s a video of some dumb people drawing completely unfounded conclusions from their “experiment.”

I’m not doubting the authenticity of their video. That’s exactly what happens when you hold a lighter to snow. Here’s noted smart person Phil Plait from the Bad Astronomer blog to explain what’s happening.

Snow is absorbent. When you hold a lighter to it, it melts. Then the liquid water gets absorbed into the rest of the snow. That black mark is from the burning butane from the lighter, and the smell of burning plastic could also be the butane, but it can just as easily be from putting a flame near whatever container people are using to hold the snow.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/chemtrail-snow-conspiracy-explained/feed/10This Snowball Slingshot Will Win You Your Next Snowball Fight, but Might Make it Your Last - Nobody wants to play with the kid with the slingshot.http://www.themarysue.com/snowball-slingshot/
http://www.themarysue.com/snowball-slingshot/#commentsTue, 28 Jan 2014 13:47:38 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=191863

Throwing snowballs at your friends can be a fun winter activity, but if you want to step your game up and do some damage then you’ll want to see this video by YouTuber Joergsprave. Please use your new powers for good and not evil.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/snowball-slingshot/feed/2New Study Looks at the Impact of Snow Days on Student Performance - Now study the impact of calling out of work with a hangover.http://www.themarysue.com/snow-day-student-study/
http://www.themarysue.com/snow-day-student-study/#commentsWed, 22 Jan 2014 22:05:22 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=191261

For a kid(or teacher) in school there is nothing better than a snow day, but educators have been concerned with how an unexpected day off might impact a student’s education. A new study examined the impact of snow days on how students learn, and the results are promising for kids who want a day off.

Harvard Kennedy School assistant professor Joshua Goodman, himself a former school teacher, was asked by the Massachusetts Department of Education to study the impact of snow days on a student’s education. He looked at data from grades three through 10 between 2003 and 2010, and says that not only does closing school for a snow day not negatively impact a student’s education, but keeping the school open while its snowing can be worse.

While schools factor snow closures into their annual schedules and can make up the days later, if a school stays open during a storm, some students may still miss school. Goodman says:

[Schools] need to consider the downside when deciding not to declare a snow day during a storm—the fact that many kids will miss school regardless, either because of transportation issues or parental discretion. And because those absences typically aren’t made up in the school calendar, those kids can fall behind.

Keep that in mind next time it snows and you’re not sure if they’ll be closing schools. Maybe they should.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/snow-day-student-study/feed/0Do You Want To Build A Snowflake? Learn the Science [Video] - Winter Is Cominghttp://www.themarysue.com/science-of-snowflakes/
http://www.themarysue.com/science-of-snowflakes/#commentsSat, 11 Jan 2014 23:00:38 +0000http://www.themarysue.com/?p=119953
This really fascinating video on the "Science of Snowflakes" from It's Okay To Be Smart covers some of the basics that most people know, but gets deep into the science in an easy to understand way. Are snowflakes as unique as everyone says? Well...yes, sort of. Check out the video to get the scoop - and don't forget your scarf.
Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?]]>

This really fascinating video on the “Science of Snowflakes” from It’s Okay To Be Smart covers some of the basics that most people know, but gets deep into the science in an easy to understand way. Are snowflakes as unique as everyone says? Well…yes, sort of. Check out the video to get the scoop – and don’t forget your scarf.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/science-of-snowflakes/feed/3Electric Scooter Designed For Snow Travel Is Equal Parts Amazing And Awkward - They set their test video to the Power Rangers theme, so, scales tipped toward amazing.http://www.themarysue.com/electric-snow-scooter/
http://www.themarysue.com/electric-snow-scooter/#commentsSun, 05 Jan 2014 19:45:35 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=189444still a scooter, which just makes it super uncool.]]>

This electric scooter from DK Laboratories took over 18 months to build from scratch, and comes complete with a ski in the front for optimal snow-travel. Even though this looks functional for snowy pedestrian cities (Toronto and NYC, I’m lookin’ at you), there’s still the whole thing where it’s still a scooter, which just makes it super uncool.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/electric-snow-scooter/feed/0How Does New Jersey Clear Snow from Train Tracks? With a Jet Engine, of Course - Wait... why don't they also use jets to make their trains go faster?http://www.themarysue.com/nj-transit-jet-engine/
http://www.themarysue.com/nj-transit-jet-engine/#commentsFri, 03 Jan 2014 18:27:32 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=189355

There was a bit of weather overnight in the Northeast that resulted in some significant snowfall in a lot of places. One of those places was New Jersey, and the state’s Transit Authority tweeted two photos of how they’re handling the snow. They’re handling it with jet engines. Right on, New Jersey.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/nj-transit-jet-engine/feed/0Monday Cute: Six Seconds of Puppy’s First Snowhttp://www.themarysue.com/puppy-first-snow/
http://www.themarysue.com/puppy-first-snow/#commentsMon, 30 Dec 2013 14:29:23 +0000http://www.themarysue.com/?p=118400
Yeah, well, that puppy doesn't have to shovel the driveway.
Wait, I live in an apartment complex. I don't have to shovel the driveway either.
Wait for me, puppy!]]>

Yeah, well, that puppy doesn’t have to shovel the driveway.

Wait, I live in an apartment complex. I don’t have to shovel the driveway either.

While scientists are now certain that there was once water on Mars, there are still many questions about what that means. Questions linger over how much water there was, what form it may have taken, and what role it had in the Martian ecosystem. Researchers at Brown University have been studying some of these questions, and have found evidence to support the theory that the water regularly precipitated on Mars, suggesting a history of snowy seasons on the Red Planet.

Several valleys in a variety of locations on Mars appear to have been crafted by a geological phenomenon known as orographic precipitation, which is what happens when precipitation — like rain or snow — falls, and is then pushed back up by wind. Brown geological sciences graduate student Kat Scanlon recognized potential indicators of the effect on Mars from her work in Hawaii, where it is often present. The team then went looking for locations that suggest orographic precipitation (namely, networks of valleys along higher surfaces, such as mountains or the raised edges of craters), and used a general circulation model to simulate how the precipitation that caused them would be likely to fall.

Models from the Brown team have predicted a cold climate, leading the researchers to call the precipitation snow, though it is possible the valleys would have melted the snow. Now, researchers are turning their lens on the related issue of how they snowfall they suspect would have melted, and whether that melting process would be enough to carve valleys on its own. These continuing studies of the role of precipitation will help scientists understand the ancient Martian climate, which could be a key factor in determining if the planet ever supported life.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/martian-snowfall/feed/1Just Add Water: Seattle Seahawks Really Do Play Better at Home in Rain and Snowhttp://www.themarysue.com/seahawks-better-rain/
http://www.themarysue.com/seahawks-better-rain/#commentsWed, 02 Jan 2013 23:00:15 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=131365
Hailing from Washington, I can happily confirm that yes, as you may have heard, it rains quite a bit there. Somehow, though, we mostly get by just fine. Now, a University of Washington meteorologist has run the numbers to find that our NFL team has not only found ways to live with the rainy, wet conditions that are par for the course in the Northwest -- they actually thrive in them. The playoff bound Seattle Seahawks are more likely to win home games in rain or snow, and not by just a little. ]]>

Hailing from Washington, I can happily confirm that yes, as you may have heard, it rains quite a bit there. Somehow, though, we mostly get by just fine. Now, a University of Washington meteorologist has run the numbers to find that our NFL team has not only found ways to live with the rainy, wet conditions that are par for the course in the Northwest — they actually thrive in them. The playoff-bound Seattle Seahawks are more likely to win home games in rain or snow, and not by just a little.

Though the factors behind it are ill-understood, statistically speaking, home field advantage is no myth — most teams, regardless of how good or bad they may be, tend to be a bit better at home, and the Seahawks are no exception. In fact, the power of the force that home field advantage can seem to confer is always in the air. Part of it is the mythos of the 12th man — Seahawks fans who fill the stadium — but part of it is actual physics. CenturyLink Field –nee Qwest Field — was built to be loud. It’s relatively small size and clamshell shape mean that crowd noise echoes and reverberates through the stadium, causing confusion and

Considering how much rain Washington gets, it’s perhaps not surprising that the Seahawks seem to be able to turn dreary weather to their advantage, though, whether it’s because they’re better at catching rainslick passes or because the other team can’t get out of bed due to a sudden onset of weapons grade winter blahs is anyone’s guess. The numbers don’t lie, though. Thanks to University of Washington meteorologist Nick Bond, we know that Seattle has a respectable 42-25 record at home under a dry sky, winning games by an average of 5 points. When the clouds open up, though, visitors should watch out — not only do the Hawks have a stupid good record of 17-4 in those situations, they tend to embarrass their opponents, outscoring them by an average of 12 points per game.

What is surprising — especially to anyone who has experienced an autumn in Washington — is that in the last 10 years, the Seahawks have only played 21 home games while it’s raining or snowing. That seems low, but it may be a sign that the one thing Washingtonians never thought they would ask for — more wet weather in the fall — could be a great thing for the Seahawks. Do I sense a rain dance coming on, Seattle fans? Let’s make it happen.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/seahawks-better-rain/feed/5Check Out the Wild Geometric Snow Art of Simon Beckhttp://www.themarysue.com/geometric-trampled-snow-art/
http://www.themarysue.com/geometric-trampled-snow-art/#commentsWed, 26 Dec 2012 22:15:31 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=130426
No need to bring in the FBI or Mel Gibson, because these intricate, crop circle-like patterns in the snow weren't left behind by aliens with a knack for artistic design. British artist and competitive orienteer Simon Beck has been making these trampled snow art pieces since 2004 at the Les Arcs ski resort in France. Relying on computer mapping and the years of orienteering skills under his belt, Beck is able to create precise geometric patterns in the snow based on his projections and local landmarks in the area. And the only tools that Beck uses when out in the field is the pair of snowshoes on his own two feet. Too bad the only thing we do with snow is throw rock salt on it which, last time we checked, is an unappreciated art form.]]>

No need to bring in the FBI or Mel Gibson, because these intricate, crop circle-like patterns in the snow weren’t left behind by aliens with a knack for artistic design. British artist and competitive orienteer Simon Beck has been making these trampled snow art pieces since 2004 at the Les Arcs ski resort in France. Relying on computer mapping and the years of orienteering skills under his belt, Beck is able to create precise geometric patterns in the snow based on his projections and local landmarks in the area. And the only tools that Beck uses when out in the field is the pair of snowshoes on his own two feet. Too bad the only thing we do with snow is throw rock salt on it which, last time we checked, is an unappreciated art form.

Image title

this is some kind of spaceship or something.

We strongly advise that those living in more urban environments don’t try to replicate the artistic process of Beck’s trampled snow art. Aside from the lack of adequate space and orienteering skills, one runs the potential risk of stomping through frozen dog mess hidden beneath the snow. That’s, uh, speaking from experience.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/geometric-trampled-snow-art/feed/1NASA Discovers a New Kind of Martian Snow; We Hope They Give Curiosity a Snow Day - It Came From Outer Spacehttp://www.themarysue.com/carbon-dioxide-snow-on-mars/
http://www.themarysue.com/carbon-dioxide-snow-on-mars/#commentsFri, 14 Sep 2012 16:35:06 +0000http://www.themarysue.com/?p=59785
Look, I know that Curiosity didn't land anywhere near Mars' polar dry-ice-cap. And I know that this recent discovery was made based on observations from a particular Martian winter several years ago. And I know that the Curiosity Rover is not sentient neither tires, gets bored, or has feelings.
I'm just saying: Martian. Robot. Snow day.]]>

Look, I know that Curiosity didn’t land anywhere near Mars’ polar dry-ice-cap. And I know that this recent discovery was made based on observations from a particular Martian winter several years ago. And I know that the Curiosity Rover is not sentient neither tires, gets bored, or has feelings.

I’m just saying: Martian. Robot. Snow day.

Recently scientists were combing through data and observations collected by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and noticed something they’d never seen before: snow.

Not regular snow, made of water molecules. That weather phenomenon was observed on Mars in 2008 by the Phoenix lander. This snow is, so far as scientists have observed, unique in the solar system: it’s made of carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide, is, of course, used most frequently in my experience for its properties of being a gas at room temperature on Halloween. The temperatures you need to get carbon dioxide snow run around -193 degrees Fahrenheit.

“These are the first definitive detections of carbon-dioxide snow clouds,” says Paul Hayne, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, “We firmly establish the clouds are composed of carbon dioxide — flakes of Martian air — and they are thick enough to result in snowfall accumulation at the surface.”

The occurrence of carbon dioxide snow is especially relevant because it may help explain how Mars manages to maintain its snowy southern ice cap year round. Scientists have never really been sure how the dry ice gets there, whether it freezes straight out of the air when in contact with the ground, or is deposited in some way. Precipitation may now be the answer.

How soon anyone will be able to roll up a Martian snowball is beyond our current projections. It’ll have to go in the dream bin with wooly mammoth clones.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/carbon-dioxide-snow-on-mars/feed/1Mars is Weird: NASA Orbiter Shows “Dry Ice” Snow on Red Planethttp://www.themarysue.com/dry-ice-snow-mars/
http://www.themarysue.com/dry-ice-snow-mars/#commentsTue, 11 Sep 2012 23:05:58 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=116108
While Curiosity has been getting a lot of well-deserved attention lately, it's worth remembering that everyone's favorite rover isn't the only one doing cool stuff with Mars. When it's not getting some glamour shots of its ground-based cousin, the Mars Reconaissance Orbiter (MRO) is still finding out all sorts of neat things about our nearest sibling in the solar system, like confirming the suspicion that Mars has instances in which it snows dry ice -- carbon dioxide that has frozen at temperatures below -193 degrees Fahrenheit.]]>

While Curiosity has been getting a lot of well-deserved attention lately, it’s worth remembering that everyone’s favorite rover isn’t the only one doing cool stuff with Mars. When it’s not getting some glamour shots of its ground-based cousin, the Mars Reconaissance Orbiter (MRO) is still finding out all sorts of neat things about our nearest sibling in the solar system, like confirming the suspicion that Mars has instances in which it snows dry ice — carbon dioxide that has frozen at temperatures below -193 degrees Fahrenheit.

The super-cold snowfall takes place at the Martian poles, where solid dry ice has been known to exist for some time. It has never been observed as falling snow, though, so its origins, though suspected, remained uncertain. Not anymore, though. Analysis of clouds of CO2 imaged by the MRO in the Martian winter of 2006-2007 demonstrates that in addition to familiar, hydrogen dioxide snow, which was seen on the planet in 2008 by the Phoenix lander, the red planet gets snowstorms of frozen carbon dioxide.

“One line of evidence for snow is that the carbon dioxide ice particles in the clouds are large enough to fall to the ground during the lifespan of the clouds,” points out JPL’s David Kass, one of the authors of the study released today. Combined with an angling of the MRO’s instrumentation that allows it to tell dry ice frozen on the ground from fresh snowfall, the conclusion that frozen, solid carbon dioxide is precipitating to the Martian surface is inescapable.

It is also, for the record, really badass, and seeing that stuff is absolutely another argument for getting some manned missions to Mars.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/dry-ice-snow-mars/feed/1Swedish Man Survived Being Trapped in Car For Months, Hibernated “Like a Bear”http://www.themarysue.com/trapped-in-car-for-months/
http://www.themarysue.com/trapped-in-car-for-months/#commentsSun, 19 Feb 2012 18:00:56 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=89626
There's a pretty incredible story floating around the Internet today about a 45 year-old Swedish man who was rescued from his car after apparently being trapped inside without food for months. Some snowmobilers came across the vehicle buried in snow on a forest path, not far from the northern city of Umea. His rescuers were surprised to find someone inside, wrapped in a sleeping bag, and even more surprised when the man managed to gasp out that he'd been in the car since December 19th.]]>

There’s a pretty incredible story floating around the Internet today about a 45 year-old Swedish man who was rescued from his car after apparently being trapped inside without food for months. Some snowmobilers came across the vehicle buried in snow on a forest path, not far from the northern city of Umea. His rescuers were surprised to find someone inside, wrapped in a sleeping bag, and even more surprised when the man managed to gasp out that he’d been in the car since December 19th.

That someone could survive for so long and in such harsh conditions seems impossible. The going theory is that the man was able to stay hydrated by eating the snow he could reach from his window. As far as his need for food goes, it seems that he used little energy and lived off his body’s fat reserves. Vasterbottens-Kuriren, a local news outlet, quotes physician Stefan Branth via Reuters as saying:

“A bit like a bear that hibernates. Humans can do that,” he said. “He probably had a body temperature of around 31 degrees (Celsius) which the body adjusted to. Due to the low temperature, not much energy was used up.”

Now, it’s important to note that while the man survived, he didn’t hop out of the car in the picture of health. News reports say that he was barely able to move or speak upon his rescue. His poor state of health does lend some credence to his story, though it might just as easily mean that he was confused when saying how long he’d been snowed in for.

As to the status of his recovery, Reuters reports that the hospital caring for the man says he’s “doing well considering the circumstances.” If he’s really lived off snow for two months, that doesn’t sound all that good.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/trapped-in-car-for-months/feed/4This is Snowtober, as Seen from Spacehttp://www.themarysue.com/space-snowtober/
http://www.themarysue.com/space-snowtober/#commentsTue, 01 Nov 2011 18:59:33 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=78769
Residents of the northeast U.S. coast got a bit of a surprise this past weekend when a freak snowstorm dumped a load of heavy, wet snow well in advance of November. The storm, dubbed Snowtober, apparently broke records across the coast, dropping 32 inches of snow in some areas and leaving over 3 million homes without power. Amazingly, this storm actually did more damage in some areas than Hurricane Irene did.
Now, a totally different view of the weather comes from NASA's Terra satellite, which captured the above image on October 30th. Doesn't seem so bad from up there.]]>

Residents of the northeast U.S. coast got a bit of a surprise this past weekend when a freak snowstorm dumped a load of heavy, wet snow well in advance of November. The storm, dubbed Snowtober, apparently broke records across the coast, dropping 32 inches of snow in some areas and leaving over 3 million homes without power. Amazingly, this storm actually did more damage in some areas than Hurricane Irene did.

Now, a totally different view of the weather comes from NASA’s Terra satellite, which captured the above image on October 30th. Doesn’t seem so bad from up there.

]]>http://www.themarysue.com/space-snowtober/feed/0Red Pandas, Frolicking in the Snow [Video] - Awwwwwwhttp://www.themarysue.com/red-pandas/
http://www.themarysue.com/red-pandas/#commentsSat, 19 Mar 2011 22:01:21 +0000http://www.themarysue.com/?p=3472
No one is thrilled about the fact that the spring equinox does not change the actual weather. But if it must be cold, and we must look at snow, then there had better be fluffy, adorable red pandas bounding about in it.
(URLesque)]]>

No one is thrilled about the fact that the spring equinox does not change the actual weather. But if it must be cold, and we must look at snow, then there had better be fluffy, adorable red pandas bounding about in it.